In a year that has been marked by historic events in Spain, another one has taken place. On Friday, 12th July, Princess Leonor travelled to Portugal for her first solo official trip overseas.
She departed the State Pavilion of the Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas International Airport, with an official ceremony taking place, during which the princess was given military honours and briefly reviewed troops, before her and her entourage (which included staff from the Royal Household, among which there were military and protocol officials, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs) boarded the State Place.
Less than 2 hours later, she landed in Lisbon, where she was welcomed by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a familiar face for many royal followers. Alongside the President were also the Spanish ambassador to Portugal and the Portuguese Presidency’s Chief of Protocol.
Following a military salute and a greeting of the respective delegations, Princess Leonor jumped in a car that took her to one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites: the Monastery of Jerónimos of Santa María de Belém.
There, she was welcomed by its Director and the Prior, who led her through a guard of honour to the Basilica, where she offered a floral tribute at the tomb of poet Luis de Camões. Afterwards, she was given a brief tour of the Monastery, before sitting down to sign the guest book.
Guarded by a horseback infantry squadron, Princess Leonor was then driven to Belém Palace, where she received the official welcome from President Rebelo de Sousa. As is traditional, the official welcome ceremony included the playing of both national anthems, as well as a military review.
Once inside, a greeting of both delegations took place, which was followed by one of the day’s most significant moments, as President Rebelo de Sousa bestowed the heir to the Spanish throne with the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ, the second most important order in Portugal.
Afterwards, the two delegations sat down for a closed door meeting, before they all sat down for lunch, which was offered by the Portuguese President. Before eating, both the President and the princess gave speeches.
In hers, Princess Leonor remarked on the importance of Portugal as her destination, saying: “ten years ago, this beloved country was the first destination of my parents as King and Queen of Spain, so I can’t deny how special it is for me as well being here today”, adding that she was grateful for the warm reception that she was given upon her arrival in the country.
The last stop of the day was Lisbon’s Oceanário, where, accompanied by Spanish and Portuguese authorities, as well as top officials from the facility and scientists, she received a tour of the building, before sitting down for a roundtable discussion titled “Defence of the Ocean”, during which topics such as the scientific expeditions and economic policies to safeguarding the biggest bodies of water on the planet were tacked.
During the discussion, the princess was heard using her English skills to pose a question, before signing the guest book and greeting the many people who were congregated in the hall of Europe’s biggest indoor aquarium.
This marked her last event for the day, and Princess Leonor was accompanied back to the Lisbon Airport by President Rebelo de Sousa, before flying back to Madrid.
Official trips are the highest form of visit that can be undertaken by officials that are not Heads of State, so everyone’s eyes were on Princess Leonor on Friday. For the occasion, she chose a red Carolina Herrera suit, which she paired with cream heels, a red bag and ruby earrings which she borrowed from Queen Letizia.
Many have pointed out the similarities between her choice and many of her mother’s outfits in the past, and the choice of colour was definitely not a coincidence, given that red is the most prominent colour that the Spanish and Portuguese flags have in common.
The princess, who finished her first year of military training last week, is not yet on holiday; the Royal Household’s agenda shows her taking part in the graduation ceremony of the Naval Academy next Tuesday – another sign of her growing role within the family, but also a taste of what’s to come for her, as she will be expected to report there in mid-August to begin her second year in the Armed Forces.
